PEOPLE
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
Ripley H. Hunter
RIPLEY H. HUNTER, M. D., one of the well-known and successful physicians of Bullard, has practiced his profession in Smith county, Texas, for more than a quarter of a century, and is identified with some of the county's industrial and financial institutions, being president of the Citizens' State Bank of Bullard and also of the Bullard Lace Leather Company. He was born near Farmington, Marshall county, Tennessee, December 20, 1858, a son of James N. and Cynthia (Hayes) Hunter. His paternal great-grandfather came from Ireland at a comparatively early day and settled near Charleston, South Carolina, and his grandfather, Ephraim Hunter, was one of the first generation descended from this Irish emigrant. Ephraim Hunter married a Miss Bishop, and their children were James N., who was born in 1815; Thomas, Jasper, Henry, and Lizzie, who became the wife of Pope Dryden. Dr. Hunter's maternal ancestry can be traced back to one of the pioneer families of North Carolina.
James N. Hunter was a man of modest ambition, a quiet, unassuming citizen, who engaged in farming and mercantile pursuits at Farmington, Tennessee, where he died in 1889. For many years prior to his death he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and took a commendable interest in promoting its good works. His widow is still living, at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. Their children were Virginia, who married W. C. Adams and died at Farmington; Sallie, who is now the wife of W. K. Long of that place; Dora, who died in Farmington as the wife of T. G. Slate; Alice, who is now the wife of J. H. Culbertson of Farmington; Dr. Ripley H.; Etta, who married a man named Roberts and, after his death, became the wife of Nicholas Boren, is now deceased; Lula, who married L. M. Bell and died at Louisburg, Tennessee.
In his boyhood and youth Dr. Hunter enjoyed the advantages of both country and town life, his early years being passed on his father's farm and in the little city of Farmington. After acquiring an academic education, he taught for some time in the country schools, and then began the study of medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. W. C. Ransom at Farmington. Here he was prepared for entrance to the medical department of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, where he was graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1883. Upon receiving his degree he began the practice of medicine in his native town, where he remained until 1886, when he decided to try his fortune in the great state of Texas. In that year he located at Selman, among strangers, and practiced there for ten years. In 1896 he removed to Bullard, where he built and opened the first drug store, which he conducted in connection with his professional duties as a physician. He is still engaged in the drug business; was one of the organizers of the Citizens' State Bank, in 1907, of which he is now president, and, as above stated, he is also the president of the Bullard Lace Leather Company. However, Dr. Hunter is first of all a physician, and his connection with other enterprises has never prevented him from attending to his patients. In his profession, he has kept fully abreast of the progress of medical science and is recognized as one of the progressive doctors of Smith county. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and he and his family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church.
Dr. Hunter has been twice married. In September, 1887, he married Miss Jessie Bone, daughter of Dr. R. D. Bone, of Selman, Texas, and to this union were born two children - Annie May and Mina. The former is now the wife of L. F. Kay of Bullard, and the latter is Mrs. S. P. Barelay of Beaumont, Texas. Mrs. Jessie Bone Hunter died in 1892, and in October, 1893, Dr. Hunter married Miss Bernice Jones, daughter of John Jones of Rusk county, Texas. To this second union have been born six children - Lula, Mary, Rush Q., Ripley H., Bonney and Sara. Lula and Mary are students in Kidd-Key College, at Sherman, Texas, and the other children are at home with the parents.
Source: Transcription from the book, A History of Texas and Texans, by Frank W. Johnson, published in 1914; located on the website, Internet Archive (http://archive.org), accessed 15 March 2024.
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